Ismail Safarali

Writer / Director

Azerbaijani / French

Ismail Safarali is a scriptwriter and director born in Baku, Azerbaijan. Educated at Duke University (Durham, NC) (MA Economics), Ismail had a successful career in banking before changing his trade for filmmaking in September 2013. In September 2015 Ismail graduated with honors from the Moscow School of New Cinema (MSNC) with a Master’s degree in Filmmaking. Ismail has shot and co-produced five short films that have been premiered internationally. Ismail’s feature debut “The Fisherman’s Daughter” was produced by Non-Stop production (Leviathan, Loveless, Beanpole) and was sold internationally by Wild Bunch. Ismail currently resides in Paris, France.

Project

Strays

Strays is a story of a chance encounter between two orphaned teenagers in love and a blind house keeper who once gave up on his family. Taking place in a sea-side village outside Baku, Azerbaijan in late fall, the story follows two runaways MARIK (18) and LYALYA (16) who are looking for shelter after escaping from an orphanage. They move in with an old and blind house keeper QURBAN (70) who has had his own share of misfortunes and has now retreated to solitude of an old house that he looks after the best way a blind man can. Pretending to be stray cats, teenagers start living under Qurban’s roof and become close to him. They explore the house, the village around it, find friends and love until one day the time comes for Marik and Lyalya to grow up. Incidentally, it is also the same day when Qurban’s past deeds catch up to him.